# Real Kakamora F.C.

Real Kakamora Football Club, commonly referred to colloquially as RK or Real Kaks, is a professional Solomon Islands football club based in the province of Makira-Ulawa, and plays their matches in Honiara. The club competes in the Telekom S-League, the top flight of football in the Solomon Islands.

## History
### Origins of precursor club, domestic football in Solomon Islands (1970s-1998)

The club’s origins can be traced back to the years preceding Solomon independence, when English missionary C.E. Fox, who had resided in Makira-Ulawa Province, founded Kakamora Football Club. This coincided with the introduction of organized football competition to Honiara, in which all church-based organizations participated. Fox’s involvement with the Church of Melanesia, still then referred to as part of the Church of England, was responsible for the creation of the club. The Church was responsible for introducing football to the country as a whole, as they had incorporated the sport into physical education programs while in charge of education in the Solomon Islands.
The precursor club enjoyed a great bit of success in the 1980s, placing as high as third in the Honiara Super League in 1988, in which they beat Uncles FC (now known as Solomon Warriors) 2-0 in the third-place match. During this time, Kakamora became a “household name” in Solomon football, as they were well-regarded for helping introduce a more modernized style of play to their contemporaries, helping the Solomon Islands earn the nickname of “Brazil of the South Pacific.”

### Founding and early years (1998-2011)

Originally founded in January of 1998 as an amateur team, the club has alternated between a dark blue and white kit since its inception.
Real Kakamora remained relatively unknown until 2011, when they joined the Telekom S-League as last-minute replacements for Makuru FC, who had refused to play in the league on religious grounds, and one of the league's eight founding members.
Most notably, Real Kakamora preceded to record two additional seasons without a win. They finished 0-0-22 in the 2023 season, conceding an average of 5.27 goals per match and with a goal difference of -102 despite playing in only 22 matches.
Their season ended with a 14-0 loss to Solomon Warriors, with striker Tigi Molea tallying 10 goals in the match to clinch the league title for the Warriors, the 2nd-highest total in league history.
In 2024, Real Kakamora got their first victory in 2 years against Marist FC. Moreover, in the next match, they beat Kossa FC 2-0, starting a two match win streak, their first since 2021.
Spurred by their unprecedented online success, Kakamora shared their S-League license with the management of Honiara FA League club Green Shield FC, and used their new source of funding to target young, high-potential players, including Waneagu United striker Paul Francis and Central Coast U19 player Gordon Iro, amongst others.
The club's 2024 season resulted in a massive improvement, as Kakamora unexpectedly spent much of the early season leading the championship before ending in third place, their best finish in club history. Kakamora firmly established themselves as one of the most popular clubs in the OFC, and won 130,000 SBD in prize money from the SIFF following the end of the season.

## Crest and colors

In early 2024, facing widespread pressure and the threat of being removed from the S-League next season if their performances were not to improve, the club adopted a new crest and branding.

## Grounds

Since their foundation, Real Kakamora played most of their home matches at the 22,000-capacity Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.
It has served as the de facto home venue of the entire league as a whole, restricting the club to play both their home and away matches at the stadium.

## Social media presence

Ever since the 2023 season, Real Kakamora's futile performances and egregiously-lopsided defeats later came to attract international attention, with many, including the club themselves, describing Kakamora as the "worst football club in the world."
Real Kakamora created their Instagram account in February 2024. They have been making use of Instagram's Reels to publish numerous football memes and posts humorously highlighting the club's shortcomings.
Real Kakamora's social media presence quickly grew viral on the platform, notable for its rather “unfiltered and contrarian” content and provided the club with a newfound international fanbase in the club, the Telekom S-League and football in Solomon Islands.
With over 33,000 followers on Instagram at the end of 2024, Kakamora is considered to be one of the most popular football clubs in the largely semi-professional Oceania Football Confederation.

## Players

Squad for 2024 Solomon Islands S-League
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | SOL | John Tolongea |
| 2 | DF | SOL | Junior Houkarawa |
| 3 | DF | SOL | Wilfred Mani |
| 4 | DF | SOL | Gordon Iro |
| 5 | DF | SOL | Zimri Kini |
| 6 | DF | SOL | John Dora |
| 7 | MF | SOL | Michael Lalo |
| 8 | MF | SOL | Jeffery Bule (captain) |
| 9 | FW | SOL | Hudson Felani |
| 10 | MF | SOL | Junior Sam |
| 11 | MF | SOL | Eddie Kasute'e |
| 12 | DF | SOL | Innocent Sinahanua |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 13 | DF | SOL | Junior Mani |
| 14 | GK | SOL | Harold Nauania |
| 15 | MF | SOL | Vincent Liuga |
| 16 | FW | SOL | Kieran Israel |
| 17 | MF | SOL | Deshaun Kenilorea |
| 20 | FW | SOL | Paul Francis |
| 21 | MF | SOL | Joses Nawo |
| 25 | MF | SOL | Enock Poloso |
| 26 | FW | SOL | Clenty Lamupio |
| 27 | FW | SOL | Phillip Ropa |
| 31 | FW | SOL | Joseph Firigeni |

### Staff

| Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Stephen Aumanu, Jr. |
| Assistant Coach | Ian Lagwai Kalu |
| Team President (MUFA) | Tommy Mana |
| Team President (Green Shield) | Noel Hakopes |
| Team Manager | Jeremy David Bosokru |

## Performance

Often beset by a lack of proper funding and resources in their first twelve years spent in the league, Real Kakamora failed to record a win in their first season of play in the S-League, and after a period of brief mid-table success, plummeted greatly and often finished at or near the bottom of the table in subsequent seasons.
Real Kakamora enjoyed somewhat limited success in its first few seasons as a professional club, with two 4th-place finishes in the 2011-12 and 2014-15 editions of the league.
Since their last 4th-place finish, the team has served as a perennial bottom-feeder in Solomon football, finishing in the bottom four places of the table each season; the lone exception being a 5th-place finish in 2021.